Systems and methods for identifying and remedying product mis-shipments to retail stores

ABSTRACT

Systems, devices, and methods include an electronic scanning device, an electronic database, and an electronic inventory management device for analyzing products at a retail store in order to detect products at the retail store that are associated with mis-shipments and to adjust perpetual inventory at the retail store in view of a detected mis-shipment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/131,370, filed Sep. 14, 2018, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/611,771, filed Dec. 29, 2017, each ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to monitoring product inventory atretail stores, and in particular, to detection and correction of errorsassociated with mis-shipment of products to retail stores.

BACKGROUND

In a given year, it is not uncommon for distribution centers of a largeretailer to ship millions of products to retail stores, and for retailstores to receive and stock millions of products. The products aretypically picked, shipped, delivered, and stocked by human operators.Similarly, human operators manually record (e.g., using an electronicdevice) the tasks they perform with respect to the products as well asinventory information associated with the products.

It is not uncommon for human operators to erroneously pick and/or shipand/or stock a product while entering inventory information that wouldbe appropriate if the correct product was picked and/or shipped and/orstocked by the operator. As a result of such operator error, it is notuncommon for perpetual inventory information at retail stores to beincorrect, with some retail stores stocking more units of a product thanindicated by perpetual inventory data and some retail stores stockingless units of a product than indicated by perpetual inventory data. Suchinventory errors can lead to situations where a product is indicated tobe out of stock is actually in stock and situations where a product isindicated to be in stock is actually out of stock.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Disclosed herein are embodiments of systems, devices, and methodspertaining to detection of mis-shipments of products to a retail storeand correction of perpetual inventory of the retail store in response tothe mis-shipments. This description includes drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system for detecting mis-shipments of productsto a retail store and correcting perpetual inventory of the retail storein response to a detected mis-shipment in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an electronic inventorymanagement device in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a process of detecting mis-shipments ofproducts to a retail store and correcting perpetual inventory of theretail store in response to a detected mis-shipment in accordance withsome embodiments.

Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity andhave not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensionsand/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures maybe exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improveunderstanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also,common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in acommercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order tofacilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments. Certainactions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular orderof occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that suchspecificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. The termsand expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as isaccorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in thetechnical field as set forth above except where different specificmeanings have otherwise been set forth herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but ismade merely for the purpose of describing the general principles ofexemplary embodiments. Reference throughout this specification to “oneembodiment,” “an embodiment,” or similar language means that aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connectionwith the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of thepresent invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,”“in an embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specificationmay, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

Generally, the systems, devices, and methods described herein aredirected to analysis of products stocked at a retail store in order todetect products at the retail store that are associated withmis-shipments and to adjust perpetual inventory at the retail storeaccordingly.

In some embodiments, a system for detecting mis-shipments of products toa retail store and correcting perpetual inventory of the retail store inresponse to a detected mis-shipment includes: an electronic scanningdevice configured to scan at least one product display location on asales floor of the retail store, the electronic scanning deviceincluding a sensor configured to identify at least one product at the atleast one product display location scanned by the electronic scanningdevice; an electronic database configured to store electronic datarepresenting an electronic invoice associated with the at least oneproduct, perpetual inventory information associated with the at leastone product, and a demand for the at least one product; and anelectronic inventory management device including a processor-basedcontrol circuit. The control circuit is configured to: obtain, from theelectronic database, electronic data representing the electronic invoiceassociated with the at least one product; in response to adetermination, by the control circuit, that the electronic invoiceassociated with the at least one product has a timestamp that is withina predetermined threshold time interval from a time the electronicinvoice is obtained, transmit a signal to the electronic scanning devicein order to cause the electronic scanning device to scan the at leastone product display location on the sales floor in order to obtainperpetual inventory information associated with the at least one productdisplayed at the at least one product display location; obtain, from theelectronic database, the demand at the retail store for the at least oneproduct from the timestamp on the electronic invoice to the time theelectronic invoice is obtained by the control circuit; analyze, using aset of rules, whether the obtained demand, the electronic datarepresenting the electronic invoice associated with the at least oneproduct, and the obtained perpetual inventory information associatedwith the at least one product are indicative of a mis-shipment of the atleast one product to the retail store; and in response to anidentification by the control circuit of the mis-shipment, to: transmita signal to the electronic database in order to update the perpetualinventory at the retail store to account for the identified mis-shipmentof the at least one product to the retail store; and transmit anelectronic alert to a computing device of a distributor responsible forthe mis-shipment and the electronic invoice, the electronic alertincluding a request that the distributor correct at least one of aninventory discrepancy associated with the mis-shipment and an electronicinvoice discrepancy associated with the mis-shipment.

In some embodiments, a method of detecting mis-shipments of products toa retail store and correcting perpetual inventory of the retail store inresponse to a detected mis-shipment, the method comprising: providing anelectronic scanning device configured to scan at least one productdisplay location on a sales floor of the retail store, the electronicscanning device including a sensor configured to identify at least oneproduct at the at least one product display location scanned by theelectronic scanning device; providing an electronic database configuredto store electronic data representing an electronic invoice associatedwith the at least one product, perpetual inventory informationassociated with the at least one product, and a demand for the at leastone product; providing an electronic inventory management deviceincluding a processor-based control circuit; obtaining, via the controlcircuit and from the electronic database, electronic data representingthe electronic invoice associated with the at least one product; inresponse to a determination, by the control circuit, that the electronicinvoice associated with the at least one product has a timestamp that iswithin a predetermined threshold time interval from a time theelectronic invoice is obtained, transmitting, via the control circuit, asignal to the electronic scanning device in order to cause theelectronic scanning device to scan the at least one product displaylocation on the sales floor in order to obtain perpetual inventoryinformation associated with the at least one product displayed at the atleast one product display location; obtaining, via the control circuitand from the electronic database, the demand at the retail store for theat least one product from the timestamp on the electronic invoice to thetime the electronic invoice is obtained by the control circuit;analyzing, via the control circuit using a set of rules, whether theobtained demand, the electronic data representing the electronic invoiceassociated with the at least one product, and the obtained perpetualinventory information associated with the at least one product areindicative of a mis-shipment of the at least one product to the retailstore; and in response to an identification by the control circuit ofthe mis-shipment: transmitting a signal to the electronic database inorder to update the perpetual inventory at the retail store to accountfor the identified mis-shipment of the at least one product to theretail store; and transmitting an electronic alert to a computing deviceof a distributor responsible for the mis-shipment and the electronicinvoice, the electronic alert including a request that the distributorcorrect at least one of an inventory discrepancy associated with themis-shipment and an electronic invoice discrepancy associated with themis-shipment.

The systems and methods described herein are not limited to scanningproducts that have been stocked (e.g., on a shelf on the sales floor oron a shelf in the stock room) at a retail store, but include thescanning and associated mis-shipment detection for products that havebeen delivered and are being unloaded (e.g., from a delivery truck via aramp or an unloading conveyor) in a product unloading area of the retailstore. To that end, in some embodiments, a system for detectingmis-shipments of products to a retail store includes an electronicscanning device configured to scan at least one product being unloadedfrom a delivery vehicle at the retail store, the electronic scanningdevice being coupled of one of a moving product unloading conveyor and aproduct unloading ramp and configured to detect a product identifier ofthe at least one product; an electronic database configured to storeelectronic data representing an electronic invoice associated with theat least one product and perpetual inventory information associated withthe at least one product; an electronic inventory management deviceincluding a processor-based control circuit and configured to: obtainfrom the electronic scanning device, electronic data identifying the atleast one product scanned by the electronic scanning device; obtain,from the electronic database, electronic data representing theelectronic invoice associated with the at least one product scanned bythe electronic scanning device; analyze, using a set of rules, whetherthe obtained electronic data identifying the at least one productscanned by the electronic scanning device and the electronic datarepresenting the electronic invoice associated with the at least oneproduct scanned by the electronic scanning device is indicative of amis-shipment of the at least one product to the retail store; and inresponse to an identification by the control circuit of themis-shipment, to: transmit a signal to the electronic database in orderto update the perpetual inventory at the retail store to account for theidentified mis-shipment of the at least one product to the retail store;and transmit an electronic alert to a computing device of a distributorresponsible for the mis-shipment and the electronic invoice, theelectronic alert including a request that the distributor correct atleast one of an inventory discrepancy associated with the mis-shipmentand an electronic invoice discrepancy associated with the mis-shipment

The exemplary system 100 in FIG. 1 includes an electronic inventorymanagement device 120 configured generally to manage the inventory ofproducts 190 at the retail store 110.

In some embodiments, the electronic inventory management device 120 isconfigured to manage and/or store electronic data associated with theproducts 190 in stock (e.g., stocked in a stock room, 170, displayed onthe sales floor 180, being unloaded and/or located at the productunloading location 165, etc.) at the retail store 110. The electronicinventory management device 120 in FIG. 1 may be a stationary orportable electronic device, for example, a desktop computer, a laptopcomputer, a tablet, a mobile phone, or any other electronic deviceincluding a processor-based control unit (i.e., control circuit) andconfigured for data entry and one-way or two-way communication (e.g.,over a network 160) with another device located at the retail store 110(e.g., electronic scanning device 130, electronic database 140, etc.),or with another device at a location remote to the retail store 110(e.g., distributor computing device 150, another retail store computingdevice 155, etc.). Similarly, each of the distributor computing device150 and retail store computing device 155 depicted in FIG. 1 may be astationary or portable electronic device, for example, a desktopcomputer, a laptop computer, a tablet, a mobile phone, or any otherelectronic device including a processor-based control unit (i.e.,control circuit) and configured for data entry and one-way or two-waycommunication (e.g., over the network 160 or another network) with theelectronic inventory management device 120, or any other electronicdevice.

The network 160 may be a wide-area network (WAN), a local area network(LAN), a personal area network (PAN), a wireless local area network(WLAN), or any other wired or wireless internet or intranet network, orcombinations of such networks. Communication between various electronicdevices of system 100 may take place over hard-wired, cellular, Wi-Fi orBluetooth networked components, or the like. In some embodiments, one ormore electronic devices of system 100 may include cloud-based features,such as cloud-based memory storage.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the system 100 includes an electronicscanning device 130 in two-way communication with the electronicinventory management device 120 over the network 160. In some aspects,the electronic scanning device 130 is an electronic unmanned vehicle(i.e., robot) that is configured to move (autonomously or while beingremotely controlled) throughout the retail store 110 (e.g., in theaisles between shelves) while scanning the products 190 located atproduct stocking locations 175 in the stock room 170 and/or at productdisplay locations 185 on the sales floor 180 at the retail store 110.

In other embodiments, the electronic scanning device 130 is a stationaryelectronic scanner that is installed in the stock room 170 and/or on, orabove the sales floor 180 at the retail store 110, to scan the productstocking locations 175 and/or products 190 located in the stock room170, and/or product display locations 185 and/or products 190 located onthe sales floor 180. In yet other embodiments, the electronic scanningdevice 130 is an electronic hand-held scanner that may be carried aroundand used by workers at the retail store 110 to scan product stockinglocations 175 and/or products 190 located in the stock room 170 and/orproduct display locations 185 and/or products 190 located on the salesfloor 180 of the retail store 110.

In yet other embodiments, the electronic scanning device 130 is anelectronic scanner that is fixedly and/or movably coupled to a productunloading device 195 at the product unloading location 165 of the retailstore 110 to scan the products 190 that are being unloaded from adelivery via the product unloading device 195 and/or products that havebeen unloaded into a product storage bin or cart via the productunloading device 195. In some aspects, the product unloading device 195is one or more conveyors coupled to a delivery vehicle and configured tosupport and move the products 190 as the products 190 are being unloadedfrom a delivery vehicle. In such embodiments, the electronic scanningdevice 130 is either directly coupled to one or more of the conveyors,or is positioned adjacent (e.g., on a side of, above, or below) theconveyors to scan the products 190 as they are moving on the conveyorswhile being unloaded from the delivery vehicle. In some aspects, theproduct unloading device 195 is a ramp coupled to a delivery vehicle andconfigured to support the products 190 thereon while the products 190slide thereon as the products 190 are being unloaded from a deliveryvehicle. In such embodiments, the electronic scanning device 130 iseither directly coupled to the ramp, or is positioned adjacent (e.g., ona side of, above, or below) the ramp to scan the products 190 as theyare moving on the ramp while being unloaded from the delivery vehicle.

In some embodiments, the electronic scanning device 130 is configured toscan one or more products 190 at the retail store 110, and morespecifically, to scan one or more product identifiers 192 present on theproducts 190 or on the packaging of the products 190. In some aspects,after the electronic scanning device 130 scans the identifiers 192 ofthe products 190 at the retail store 110, the electronic scanning device130 in configured to transmit the electronic data including the productidentifiers 192 of the scanned products 190 over the network 160 to theelectronic inventory management device 120. Exemplary electronicscanning devices 130 may include, but are not limited to barcode (e.g.,electronic product code (EPC), universal product code (UPC), (Europeanarticle number) EAN, global trade item number (GTIN) 12 and/or 13, orthe like) readers, Digimarc® readers, organic and/or laser markablesreaders, quick response (QR) code readers, radio frequencyidentification (RFID) readers, stock keeping unit (SKU) readers, nearfield communication (NFC) readers, video capture-enabled devices (e.g.,cameras, smartwatches, glasses, or the like), electronic tablets,cellular phones, or the like mobile electronic devices. In theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the electronic scanning device 130 mayobtain electronic data associated with the scanned product 190 and/orscanned product stocking location 175, product display location 185, orproduct unloading location 165 by communicating via a communicationchannel 135 (e.g., radio waves) with the unique product identifiers 192(e.g., labels, tags, barcodes, RFIDs, SKUs, or the like) located on anexterior (or interior) of products 190, located on an exterior (orinterior) of the packaging of the products 190, located at productstocking locations 175 at the retail store 110, product stockinglocations 175, and/or product unloading locations 165 at the retailstore 110.

With reference to FIG. 1, the electronic inventory management device 120is coupled via the network 160 to an electronic database 140 configuredto store electronic information associated with the products 190 stockedat the retail store 110. While the electronic database 140 of the system100 of FIG. 1 is illustrated as a separate device from the electronicinventory management device 120, it will be appreciated that theelectronic inventory management device 120 and the electronic database140 may be incorporated into one electronic device in some embodiments.The electronic database 140 may be stored, for example, on non-volatilestorage media (e.g., a hard drive, flash drive, or removable opticaldisk) external or internal relative to the electronic inventorymanagement device 120, or external or internal relative to computingdevices separate from the electronic inventory management device 120.

In some embodiments, as described in more detail below, the electronicdatabase 140 may store electronic data including but not limited toproduct identification data indicating the unique product identifiers192 of products 190 that are in stock at the retail store 110 (e.g.,stored in the stock room 170, displayed on the sales floor 180, locatedin the product unloading location 165 or another area of the retailstore 110, en route (e.g., from a distribution center) to the retailstore 110, sold at the retail store 110, etc. In some aspects, theelectronic database 140 is configured to store electronic data includingbut not limited to perpetual inventory data associated with the products190 at the retail store 110, for example, total number of units on-handof one or more products 190 at the retail store 110 at a start of apredetermined threshold interval of time; total number of units of theproduct 190 delivered to the retail store 110 from the start of thepredetermined threshold interval of time to a present time; total numberof units of the product 190 sold at the retail store 110 from the startof the predetermined threshold interval of time to the present time; andtotal number of units of the product 190 in stock (i.e., in the stockroom 170 and on the sales floor 180) at the retail store 110 at thepresent time.

In some embodiments, the electronic database 140 stores electronic datarepresenting electronic invoices associated with one or more products190 delivered to the retail store 110. As will be discussed in moredetail below, in some aspects, the data stored on the electronicdatabase 140 is obtained from the electronic database 140 by theelectronic inventory management device 120 and analyzed by the controlcircuit 210 of the electronic inventory management device 120 forpurposes of checking the accuracy of the perpetual inventory at theretail store 110 and/or for purposes of checking the accuracy of productdeliveries and/or electronic invoices received by the retail store 110.In some aspects, the electronic database 140 stores financial dataincluding but not limited to: receipts/invoices relating to products 190purchased and/or returned by customers to the retail store 110;receipts/invoices relating to products 190 that were transferred fromone retail store 110 to another retail store 110; receipts/invoicesrelating to products 190 that were delivered from one or moredistribution centers to the retail store 110; receipts/invoices relatingto broken products 190, product-related claims, donations, etc.

The electronic invoice data associated with the products 190 in stock atthe retail store 110 can be received over the network 160 by theelectronic database 140. For example, the electronic invoice data can betransmitted for storage to the electronic database 140 from sourcesincluding but not limited to: product distribution center, productwarehouse, product manufacturer, product shipping company, and/or anyother entity contracted to store products 190 prior to their delivery tothe retail store 110 and/or any other entity contracted to deliverproducts 190 to the retail store 110.

In some embodiments, the electronic data indicating the unique productidentifiers 192 associated with the products 190 in stock at the retailstore 110 is received by (over the network 160) and stored in theelectronic database 140, for example, as a result of a scan of a product190 at the retail store 110 via the electronic scanning device 130. Insome aspects, product identification data may be generated andtransmitted via the network 160 to the electronic database 140 (directlyor via the electronic inventory management device 120) when a productidentifier 192 of a product 190 is scanned using the electronic scanningdevice 130, for example, when a human worker or a mobile robot isperforming the task of moving near the shelves and/or bins in the stockroom 170, or moving in the aisles and near the shelves on the salesfloor 180 while scanning the products 190 stocked in the stock room 170and/or displayed on the sales floor 180.

In some aspects, product identification data may be generated andtransmitted via the network 160 to the electronic database 140 when astationary electronic scanning device 130 installed in the stock room170 and/or on the sales floor 180 of the retail store 110 (or a mobile(autonomous or remote-controlled) electronic scanning device 130) scansthe product identifier 192 of a product 190 in the stock room 170 and/oron the sales floor 180 of the retail store 110. In some aspects, productidentification data may be generated and transmitted via the network 160to the electronic database 140 when an electronic scanning device 130 inthe product unloading location 165 (e.g., coupled to a product unloadingdevice 195 such as a conveyor or a ramp) scans the product identifier192 of a product 190 that is moving on the product advancement surfaceof the product unloading device 195 as the product 190 is being unloadedfrom a delivery vehicle.

With reference to FIG. 2, an exemplary electronic inventory managementdevice 120 configured for use with exemplary systems and methodsdescribed herein may include a control circuit 210 including a processor(for example, a microprocessor or a microcontroller) electricallycoupled via a connection 215 to a memory 220 and via a connection 225 toa power supply 230. The control circuit 210 can comprise a fixed-purposehard-wired platform or can comprise a partially or wholly programmableplatform, such as a microcontroller, an application specificationintegrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, and so on. Thesearchitectural options are well known and understood in the art andrequire no further description here.

This control circuit 210 can be configured (for example, by usingcorresponding programming stored in the memory 220 as will be wellunderstood by those skilled in the art) to carry out one or more of thesteps, actions, and/or functions described herein. In some embodiments,the memory 220 may be integral to the processor-based control circuit210 or can be physically discrete (in whole or in part) from the controlcircuit 210 and is configured non-transitorily store the computerinstructions that, when executed by the control circuit 210, cause thecontrol circuit 210 to behave as described herein. (As used herein, thisreference to “non-transitorily” will be understood to refer to anon-ephemeral state for the stored contents (and hence excludes when thestored contents merely constitute signals or waves) rather thanvolatility of the storage media itself and hence includes bothnon-volatile memory (such as read-only memory (ROM)) as well as volatilememory (such as an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM))).Accordingly, the memory and/or the control unit may be referred to as anon-transitory medium or non-transitory computer readable medium.

The control circuit 210 of the electronic inventory management device120 is also electrically coupled via a connection 235 to an input/output240 that can receive, over the network 160, signals from the electronicscanning device 130 and/or electronic database 140 and/or distributorcomputing device 150 and/or retail store computing device 155, and/orother electronic devices local to the retail store 110 or remote to theretail store 110. The input/output 240 of the electronic inventorymanagement device 120 can also send, over the network 160, signals tothe electronic scanning device 130 and/or electronic database 140 and/orother electronic devices local to the retail store 110 or remote to theretail store 110.

In FIG. 2, the processor-based control circuit 210 of the electronicinventory management device 120 is electrically coupled via a connection245 to a user interface 250, which may include a visual display ordisplay screen 260 (e.g., light-emitting diode (LED) screen) and/orbutton input 270 that provide the user interface 250 with the ability topermit an operator of the electronic inventory management device 120 tomanually control the electronic inventory management device 120 byinputting commands via touch-screen and/or button operation and/or voicecommands. For example, in some embodiments, the user interface 250permits a user to adjust perpetual inventory at the retail store 110after the control circuit 210 of the electronic inventory managementdevice 120 determines that an adjustment to the perpetual inventory inthe electronic database 140 is warranted in response to a detection, bythe control circuit 210, that one or more products 190 indicated to bein inventory at the retail store 110 are associated with a mis-shipment.In some embodiments, the user interface 250 permits a user to transmitan electronic alert to a distributor computing device 150 to notify adistributor that one or more products 190 shipped by the distributor tothe retail store 110 is associated with a mis-shipment, and to requestthat the distributor remedy the mis-shipment and/or reconcile theelectronic invoice. It will be appreciated that the performance of suchfunctions by the processor-based control circuit 210 is not dependent ona human operator, and that the control circuit 210 may be programmed toperform such functions without a human operator.

As further discussed below, in some aspects, the control circuit 210 ofthe electronic inventory management device 120 is programmed to analyzeone or more sets of rules and to perform various functions associatedwith determining if the perpetual inventory data stored in theelectronic database 140 in association with the products 190 deliveredto the retail store 110 is consistent with the on-hand quantities of theproducts 190 in stock at the retail store 110. In some embodiments, theelectronic inventory management device 120 is configured to receive, forexample, from the electronic scanning device 130 over the network 160,electronic data (e.g., product identifier 192) indicating the identityof the products 190 scanned at a product display location 185 on thesales floor 180, at a product stocking location 175 in the stock room170, or at a product unloading location 165 at the retail store 110.

In some embodiments, a scan of the product display location 185 on thesales floor 180 by the electronic scanning device 130 enables theelectronic scanning device 130 to physically detect (e.g., by scanningthe product identifiers 192 of the products 190) the total number ofunits of each product 190 scanned at the product display location 185.In some aspects, the scan of the products 190 located on the productstocking location 175 in the stock room 170 enables the electronicscanning device 130 to physically detect (e.g., by scanning the productidentifiers 192 of the products 190) the total number of units of theproduct 190 at the scanned product stocking location 175 in the stockroom 170. Similarly, in some aspects, the scan of the products 190 beingunloaded from a delivery vehicle via a product unloading device 195(e.g., a conveyor or ramp) in the product unloading location 165 enablesthe electronic scanning device 130 to physically detect (e.g., byscanning the product identifiers 192 of the products 190) the totalnumber of units of the product 190 moving on the product unloadingdevice 195 during unloading from a vehicle.

In some embodiments, the electronic scanning device 130 is configured toscan identifiers of product unloading locations 165 (e.g., a conveyor orramp), product stocking locations 175 (e.g., a shelf or bin) and/orproduct display locations 185 (e.g., a shelf or another display) insteadof identifiers 192 of the products 190 located in such locations. Forexample, each product unloading location 165, product stocking location175 and each product display location 185 at the retail store 110 mayhave a bar code or another identifier configured to be scanned andidentified by the electronic scanning device 130. The identifiers of theproduct unloading locations 165, product stocking locations 175, and theproduct display locations 185 are stored in the electronic database 140in association with identifiers and/or known on-hand quantities of theproducts 190 stocked/displayed at such locations, such that a scan ofthe product unloading location 165, product stocking locations 175,and/or product display locations 185 by the electronic scanning device130 reveals the identity and the total number of units of the products190 located in such locations.

In certain aspects, the control circuit 210 of the electronic inventorymanagement device 120 is also programmed to obtain, from the electronicdatabase 140, electronic data representing the electronic invoiceassociated with the products 190 that were delivered or are in theprocess of being delivered to the retail store 110. In some embodiments,the control circuit 210 of the electronic inventory management device120 is programmed to obtain an electronic invoice from the electronicdatabase 140 based on a timestamp (e.g., data and time) on theelectronic invoice. In other words, in certain aspects, the controlcircuit 210 is programmed to obtain an electronic invoice from theelectronic database 140 over the network 160 in response to adetermination, by the control circuit 210 that a given electronicinvoice has a timestamp that is within a predetermined threshold timeinterval from a time the electronic invoice is obtained by the controlcircuit 210.

In some aspects, the predetermined threshold time interval is 72 hoursor less (e.g., 72 hours, 60 hours, 48 hours, 36 hours, 24 hours, 12hours, 6 hours, etc.). As a result, in some embodiments, the controlcircuit 210 of the electronic inventory management device 120 isprogrammed to trigger a chain of events advantageously leading topossible product mis-shipment detection shortly (e.g., within 1, 2, or 3days) after electronic invoices are received by the retail store 110,which then leads to prompt resolution (e.g., several days instead ofweeks or months until a scheduled monthly, bi-annual, or annualinventory audit) of any product mis-shipments and any associatedperpetual inventory discrepancies.

In some embodiments, after the control circuit 210 of the electronicinventory management device 120 determines that an electronic invoiceobtained from the electronic database 140 and associated with a givenproduct 190 delivered to the retail store 110 has a timestamp that iswithin the predetermined threshold time interval (e.g., 48 hours), thecontrol circuit 210 transmits a signal to the electronic scanning device130 in order to cause the electronic scanning device to scan a productdisplay location 185 on the sales floor 180 where this product 190 isdisplayed in order to obtain identifying and/or perpetual inventoryand/or electronic invoice data associated with this product 190 for thepurpose of detecting any mis-shipments and/or perpetual inventorydiscrepancies associated with this product 190 based on the obtaineddata. In some aspects, since the electronic inventory data for a product190 stored in the electronic database 140 is stored in association withidentifying data (e.g., a product identifier 192 such as a barcode, QRcode, RFID, etc.) for that product 190, after a product 190 is scannedby the electronic scanning device 130 based on an instruction signaltransmitted by the control circuit 210, the product identifier 192 ofthe scanned product 190 is transmitted to the electronic inventorymanagement device 120 from the electronic scanning device 130 andpermits the electronic inventory management device 120 to query theelectronic database 140 using the received product identifier 192 andobtain the electronic inventory data associated with the product 190 viathe product identifier 192.

In some aspects, the electronic inventory data obtained by theelectronic inventory management device 120 from the electronic database140 may include demand (e.g., total number of units sold to customersand/or ordered by customers according to electronic in-store and/orinternet-based purchase receipts) for the product 190 at the retailstore 110 during a predetermined time interval (e.g., from the time theproduct 190 was delivered to the retail store 110 to the time theelectronic scanning device 130 scans the product 190). In some aspects,electronic inventory data associated with a scanned product 190 that maybe obtained by the electronic inventory management device 120 from theelectronic database 140 may include but is not limited to: total numberof units of the scanned product 190 stocked at the product stockinglocation 175 in the stock room 170 and/or displayed at the productdisplay location 185 on the sales floor 180 of the retail store 110; andtotal number of units of the scanned product 190 delivered to the retailstore 110 according to the electronic invoice obtained from theelectronic database 140 by the electronic inventory management device120.

In some aspects, the control circuit 210 of the electronic inventorymanagement device 120 is configured to analyze a set of rules based on acombination of inventory parameters (obtained from the electronicdatabase 140) associated with a scanned product 190 in order todetermine whether the obtained inventory information parameters areindicative of a mis-shipment of the product 190 to the retail store 110.For example, in one aspect, the control circuit 210 is programmed toanalyze whether the obtained demand at the retail store 110 for thescanned product 190, the electronic invoice information associated withthe scanned product 190, and the obtained perpetual inventoryinformation associated with the scanned product 190 are indicative of amis-shipment of the at product 190 to the retail store 110.

In particular, in one aspect, the control circuit 210 of the electronicinventory management device 120 is programmed with a set of rulesconfigured to cause the control circuit 210 to identify a productmis-shipment upon a determination, by the control circuit 210 that: (1)the total quantity of the product 190 displayed at the scanned productdisplay location 185 on the sales floor 180 of the retail store 110 iszero; (2) the total quantity of the product 190 stocked at a productstocking location 175 in the stock room 170 of the retail store 110 iszero; (3) the total number of units of the product 190 sold at theretail store 110 from the time when the product 190 was delivered to theretail store 110 per the electronic invoice is zero; and (4) the totalquantity of the product 190 delivered to the retail store 110 is greaterthan zero. In other words, in some aspects, a mis-shipment is identifiedby the control circuit 210 as a result of a determination by the controlcircuit 210 bases on an analysis of the above set of rules that there iszero on-hand inventory at the retail store 110 of a product 190 no unitsof which have been sold since a documented (e.g., invoiced) delivery ofmultiple units of that product 190 to the retail store 110.

By way of example only, the control circuit 210 of the electronicinventory management device 120 is programmed to obtain inventory dataand electronic invoice data from the electronic database 140, and tointerpret inventory data indicating that the retail store 110 has lesson-hand units of a given product 190 than the number of units indicatedby an electronic invoice to have been delivered to the retail store 110at last delivery (when no units of the product 190 have been sold sincelast delivery) as a discrepancy indicating a mis-shipment eventassociated with the product 190 (i.e., retail store 110 actuallyreceived less units than indicated on the electronic invoice). Inanother example, the control circuit 210 of the electronic inventorymanagement device 120 is programmed with a set of rules configured tocause the control circuit 210 to interpret inventory data indicatingthat the retail store 110 has more on-hand units of a product 190 thanthe number of units indicated by an electronic invoice to have beendelivered to the retail store 110 at last delivery (when no units of theproduct 190 have been sold since last delivery) as a discrepancyindicating a mis-shipment event (i.e., received more units thanindicated on the electronic invoice) associated with the product 190.

In yet another example, the control circuit 210 of the electronicinventory management device 120 is programmed with a set of rulesconfigured to cause the control circuit 210 to interpret inventory dataindicating that the total number of on-hand units of a given product 190at the retail store 110 is greater than or less than the difference ofthe total number of units indicated by an electronic invoice to havebeen delivered to the retail store 110 at last delivery and the totalnumber of units of the product 190 sold since last delivery as adiscrepancy indicating a mis-shipment event associated with the product190. For instance, the control circuit 210 of the electronic inventorymanagement device 120 is programmed with a set of rules configured tocause the control circuit 210 to interpret inventory data indicatingthat the total number of on-hand units of a given product 190 at theretail store 110 is 1000 while 1500 units have been delivered to theretail store 110 at last delivery and the total number of units of theproduct 190 sold since last delivery is 250 as a discrepancy indicatinga mis-shipment event associated with the product 190, where 250 lessunits of the product 190 than indicated in the electronic invoice (i.e.,1250 units) were actually delivered to the retail store 110 in the lastdelivery. Conversely, the control circuit 210 of the electronicinventory management device 120 is programmed with a set of rulesconfigured to cause the control circuit 210 to interpret inventory dataindicating that the total number of on-hand units of a given product 190at the retail store 110 is 1000 while 1500 units have been delivered tothe retail store 110 at last delivery and the total number of units ofthe product 190 sold since last delivery is 750 as a discrepancyindicating a mis-shipment event associated with the product 190, where250 units more of the product 190 than indicated in the electronicinvoice (i.e., 1750) were actually delivered to the retail store 110 inthe last delivery.

In some aspects, in response to a determination by the control circuit210 of the electronic inventory management device 120 that a givenproduct 190 is associated with a mis-shipment relative to the electronicinvoice information and/or perpetual inventory information associatedwith the product 190, the control circuit 210 is configured to transmita signal to the electronic database 140 in order to update the perpetualinventory at the retail store 110 to account for the identifiedmis-shipment of the product 190 to the retail store 110. For example, inthe first example above, in response to a determination by the controlcircuit 210 of the electronic inventory management device 120 that 250less units of the product 190 were actually shipped to the retail storethan indicated in the electronic invoice, the control circuit 210 wouldtransmit a signal to the electronic database 140 in order to update theperpetual inventory at the retail store 110 to reflect that 750 (not1000) units are on-hand at the retail store 110, not 1000. By the sametoken, in the second example above, in response to a determination bythe control circuit 210 of the electronic inventory management device120 that 250 more units of the product 190 were actually shipped to theretail store than indicated in the electronic invoice, the controlcircuit 210 would transmit a signal to the electronic database 140 inorder to update the perpetual inventory at the retail store 110 toreflect that 1250 (not 1000) units are on-hand at the retail store 110.

In another example, if a worker at a distribution center tasked (perbill of lading or invoice information) with loading 24 bottles of a dietcola into a truck for delivery to the retail store 110 accidentallyloads 24 bottles of regular cola into the delivery truck, upon deliveryof the cola bottles to the retail store 110 and after a worker at theretail store 110 updates perpetual inventory at the retail store 110based on the electronic invoice to indicate that 24 diet cola bottleswere delivered to the retail store 110, the retail store 110 will have24 extra bottles of the regular cola product and will be 24 bottlesshort of the diet cola product as a result of the mis-shipment caused byoperator error at the distribution center. In some embodiments, inresponse to a determination by the control circuit 210 of the electronicinventory management device 120 that such a mis-shipment has occurred,the control circuit 210 is programmed to transmit a signal to theelectronic database 140 in order to update the perpetual inventory atthe retail store 110 to reduce the on-hand number of diet cola bottlesby 24 and to increase the on-hand number of regular cola bottles by 24in order to reflect the actual on-hand quantity of diet and regular colabottles at the retail store 110.

In another example, the control circuit 210 of the electronic inventorymanagement device 120 is programmed with a set of rules configured tocause the control circuit 210 to interpret the fact that the number ofunits of a product 190 scanned while being unloaded from a deliveryvehicle via the product unloading device 195 (e.g., a conveyor or ramp)in the product unloading location 165 does not match the number of unitsof the product 190 indicated on the no electronic invoice as having beendelivered to the retail store 110 by this delivery vehicle at thisdelivery as a discrepancy indicative that a mis-shipment of the product190 to the retail store 110 has occurred. In one example, if anelectronic scanning device 130 coupled to a product unloading device 195such as a conveyor scans a product 190 moving on the conveyor as theproduct is being unloaded from the delivery vehicle, and the productidentifier 192 indicates that 50 units of the product 190 are coming offthe delivery vehicle on the conveyor while the electronic invoiceinformation obtained from the electronic database 140 in associationwith the scanned product 190 indicates that 75 units of the product 190are being delivered, the control circuit 210 is programmed to interpretsuch a situation as being indicative of a mis-shipment (i.e., actualdelivery of 25 units less than indicated on the invoice) of the product190 to the retail store 110. In some embodiments, in response to adetermination by the control circuit 210 of the electronic inventorymanagement device 120 that such a mis-shipment has occurred, the controlcircuit 210 is programmed to transmit a signal to the electronicdatabase 140 in order to update the perpetual inventory at the retailstore 110 to reduce the on-hand number of the product 190 by 25 units toreflect the actual on-hand quantity of the product 190, not the quantityof product 190 expected at the retail store 110 if the product deliverybeen correct and had the mis-shipment not occurred.

In some embodiments, in response to a determination by the controlcircuit 210 of the electronic inventory management device 120 that agiven product 190 is associated with a mis-shipment relative to theelectronic invoice information and/or perpetual inventory informationassociated with the product 190, the control circuit 210 is configuredto transmit an electronic alert to a distributor computing device 150,for example, of a distribution center responsible for the mis-shipmentand the electronic invoice and request, via the electronic alert, thatthe distributor correct the inventory discrepancy and/or the electronicinvoice discrepancy associated with the identified mis-shipment. Forexample, in the cola bottle example above, in response to adetermination by the control circuit 210 of the electronic inventorymanagement device 120 that such a mis-shipment has occurred, the controlcircuit 210 is programmed to transmit an alert to a distributorcomputing device 150 (e.g., located at a distribution center) in orderto inform the distributor that 24 bottles of regular cola instead of 24bottles of diet cola were mis-shipped by the distribution center to theretail store 110.

In some aspects, this electronic alert includes a request that thedistribution center remedy this mis-shipment by re-shipping 24 bottlesof diet cola to the retail store 110 with a revised invoice reflectingthis new shipment (and, if appropriate, request that the distributorpick up the erroneously delivered 24 bottles of regular cola). In someaspects, after a new, corrective electronic invoice is received by theelectronic inventory management device 120 at the retail store 110 fromthe distributor computing device 150 (or from delivery truck driver),the control circuit 210 of the electronic inventory management device120 is programmed to transmit the received new electronic invoice to theelectronic database 140 in order to update the perpetual inventory atthe retail store 110 such that the re-delivered units of a product 190(e.g., 24 diet cola bottles) are reflected in the perpetual inventory ofretail store 110.

In some situations, human error may lead to products 190 beingunintentionally shipped to retail store #1 instead of retail store #2,leading to a discrepancy between perpetual inventory andon-hand-inventory information at each of retail stores #1 and #2. Forexample, if the electronic invoice for retail store #1 required thatretail store #1 is to receive 24 diet cola bottles while the electronicinvoice for retail store #2 required that retail store #2 is to receive24 regular cola bottles, but the worker at the distribution centerreversed the shipments by mistake and a worker at the retail store 110incorrectly updated perpetual inventory based on the information in thereceived electronic invoice, then retail store #1 would have a surplusof 24 regular cola bottles and a deficit of 24 diet cola bottlesrelative to the electronic invoice and perpetual inventory informationassociated with retail store #1 and retail store #2 would have a surplusof 24 regular cola bottles and a deficit of 24 regular cola bottlesrelative to the electronic invoice and perpetual inventory informationassociated with retail store #1. In some embodiments, the controlcircuit 210 of the electronic inventory management device 120 isprogrammed to, upon an identification of the mis-shipment to the retailstore 110 (which is retail store #1 in this example), to analyzeelectronic data (e.g., identity of retail store where the products 190were intended to be shipped) on the electronic invoice associated withthe mis-shipped products 190 in order to identify an intended retailstore (e.g., retail store #2) to which the products 190 associated withthe mis-shipment were supposed to be delivered per the information onthe electronic invoice.

In one aspect, after identifying the retail store (i.e., retail store#2) to which the mis-shipped products 190 (i.e., regular cola bottles)were actually meant to be shipped, the control circuit 210 is programmedto transmit an electronic alert to a retail store computing device 155at the other retail store (i.e., retail store #2) in order to notifyretail store #2 via the alert that the mis-shipment has occurred. Assuch, the electronic inventory management device 120 of retail store #1advantageously enables retail store #2 to find out that certain products190 were mis-shipped to retail store #2 without any scanning of products190 or product display locations 185 or product stocking locations 175by an electronic scanning device at retail store #2. In one aspect, theelectronic alert transmitted to the retail store computing device 155 atretail store #2 is configured such that it automatically triggers anupdate of the perpetual inventory at retail store #2 in order to accountfor the mis-shipment of the cola bottles identified by the electronicinventory management device 120 at retail store #1.

In some embodiments, in response to a determination by the controlcircuit 210 of the electronic inventory management device 120 that amis-shipment has occurred in connection with one or more products 190scanned by the electronic scanning device 130, the control circuit 210is programmed to output an alert (e.g., to an operator of the electronicinventory management device 120), which may be a visual or an audiblealert. In some aspects, the control circuit 210 of the electronicinventory management device 120 is programmed to generate an audiblealarm (e.g., via the speaker 280 of the electronic inventory managementdevice 120) indicating that the inventory information for a product 190scanned at the retail store 110 is inconsistent with the electronicinvoice information associated with that product 190. In other aspects,the control circuit 210 of the electronic inventory management device120 is configured to generate a visible alarm (e.g., via the display 260of the electronic inventory management device 120) instead or inaddition to the audible alarm.

In some embodiments, after the control circuit 210 of the electronicinventory management device 120 generates an alarm associated withdetection of a mis-shipment of a product to the retail store 110, thecontrol circuit 210 is programmed to cause the electronic inventorymanagement device 120 to transmit a signal over the network 160 to theelectronic database 140 to record the alarm and/or detectedmis-shipment. As a result, the electronic database 140 would storeelectronic data that can be used to determine a metric for the shipmentaccuracy of various distribution centers that deliver products 190 tothe retail store 110 and/or for the quality of stocking work byinventory management associates at the retail store 110.

With reference to FIGS. 1-3, one method 300 of operation of the system100 for detecting mis-shipments of products 190 to a retail store 110and correcting perpetual inventory of the retail store 110 in responseto a detected mis-shipment includes providing an electronic scanningdevice 130 configured to scan one or more product display locations 185on a sales floor 180 of the retail store 110 (step 310). To that end,the electronic scanning device 130 includes a sensor configured toidentify one or more products 190 at the one or more product displaylocations 185 scanned by the electronic scanning device 130. Asdiscussed above, the electronic scanning device 130 may include one ormore sensors/readers configured to recognize one or more productidentifiers 192 (e.g., a barcode, QR code, RFID, SKU, NFC, and thelike).

In some embodiments, as the mobile unmanned electronic scanning device130 (e.g., a unmanned ground vehicle or an unmanned aerial vehicle(i.e., drone)) moves (e.g., drives, rolls, flies, hovers, etc.) inproximity to the product display shelves (e.g., within an aisle) on thesales floor 180 of the retail store 110, the electronic scanning device130 scans the products 190 and detects product identifiers 192 thereon.As discussed above, in some implementations, the electronic scanningdevice 130 is configured to scan identifiers of product stockinglocations 175 and/or product display locations 185 instead ofidentifiers 192 of the products 190 stored in such locations. Asdiscussed above, the electronic scanning device 130 may alternatively beimplemented as a stationary product scanner or a mobile hand-heldscanner that may be used to scan products 190 being unloaded from adelivery vehicle via the product unloading device 195 in the productunloading location 165 of the retail store 110, products 190 stocked inthe stock room 170 of the retail store 110 and/or products displayed onthe sales floor 180 of the retail store 110.

In some aspects, after the electronic scanning device 130 scans theproducts 190 and acquires electronic data representative of the productidentifiers 192 of the scanned products 190, the electronic scanningdevice 130 transmits such data over the network 160 to the electronicinventory management device 120. To that end, the exemplary method ofFIG. 3 includes providing an electronic database 140 configured to storeelectronic data representing an electronic invoice associated with theproduct 190, perpetual inventory information associated with the product190, and demand for the product 190 (step 320). As discussed above, insome embodiments, the electronic database 140 records and storesidentifying data (e.g., serial number, UPC code, or the like) associatedwith every product 190 stocked at the retail store 110.

With reference to FIG. 3, the exemplary method 300 further includesproviding an electronic inventory management device 120 including aprocessor-based control circuit 210 (step 330) and obtaining, via thecontrol circuit 210 and from the electronic database 140, electronicdata representing the electronic invoice associated with one or moreproducts 190 (step 340). As discussed above, the control circuit 210 ofthe electronic inventory management device 120 is programmed, in someembodiments, to verify electronic invoice and perpetual inventoryinformation within a predetermined threshold time interval of the retailstore receiving the product shipment and/or electronic invoiceassociated with that shipment. This advantageously facilitates promptaudit (e.g., within 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, etc.) of theelectronic invoices received by the retail store 110 and provides fortimely resolution of product mis-shipments to the retail store 110. Insome aspects, in response to a determination, by the control circuit 210of the electronic inventory management device 120, that the electronicinvoice associated with one or more products 190 has a timestamp that iswithin a predetermined threshold time interval from a time theelectronic invoice is obtained by the control circuit 210, the method300 includes transmitting, via the control circuit 210, a signal to theelectronic scanning device 130 in order to cause the electronic scanningdevice 130 to scan one or more product display locations 185 on thesales floor 180 in order to obtain perpetual inventory informationassociated with one or more products 190 associated with the electronicinvoice and displayed at the product display location 185 (step 350).

The method 300 of FIG. 3 further includes obtaining, via the controlcircuit 210 of the electronic inventory management device 120 and fromthe electronic database 140, the demand at the retail store 110 for theproduct 190 from the time/date indicated by the timestamp on theelectronic invoice associated with the product 190 (i.e., whichindicates the date/time the product 190 was delivered to the retailstore 110) to the time the electronic invoice is obtained from theelectronic database 140 by the control circuit 210 (step 360). Asdiscussed above, the obtained demand may include but is not limited tototal number of units of the product 190 actually sold to customers atthe retail store 110 since the product delivery associated with theelectronic invoice and/or total number of units of the product 190ordered over the internet by customers of the retail store 110. Afterthe parameters (e.g., electronic invoice, perpetual inventory, consumerdemand, etc.) specified in the set of rules associated with amis-shipment detection decision are obtained the control circuit 210,the method 300 further includes analyzing, via the control circuit 210using the set of rules, whether the demand, electronic data representingthe electronic invoice associated with the product 190, and obtainedperpetual inventory information associated with product 190 areindicative of a mis-shipment of the product 190 to the retail store 110(step 370).

In response to an identification by the control circuit 210 of theelectronic inventory management device 120 of a mis-shipment to theretail store 110 of one or more products 190, the method 300 illustratedin FIG. 3 includes transmitting a signal to the electronic database 140in order to update the perpetual inventory at the retail store 110 toaccount for the identified mis-shipment of one or more products 190 tothe retail store 110 (step 380). As a result, in some aspects, theperpetual inventory of the retail store 110 is adjusted to reflect themis-shipment and to correctly reflect the actual on-hand inventory ofthe product 190 at the retail store 110 resulting from the mis-shipment.

In the illustrated embodiment, the method 300 further includestransmitting an electronic alert to a distributor computing device 150of a distributor (e.g., distribution center) responsible for themis-shipment and the electronic invoice (step 390). In the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 3, the electronic alert includes a request that thedistributor correct at least one of an inventory discrepancy associatedwith the mis-shipment and an electronic invoice discrepancy associatedwith the mis-shipment. As described above, such correction by thedistributor may include re-shipment of the correct number of units ofthe product 190 to the retail store 110 and submission to the retailstore 110 of a new electronic invoice, based on which the electronicinventory management device 120 communicates with the electronicdatabase 140 in order to update perpetual inventory at the retail store110 to reflect the remedial measures taken by the distributor who wasinitially responsible for the mis-shipment.

The systems and methods described herein analyze products at retailstores and detect products that are associated with mis-shipmentsresulting from human error or other causes. The methods and systemsdescribed herein significantly increase the timeliness with which suchmis-shipment errors can be detected by the retail stores, therebyenabling the retail stores to take responsive measures, and adjust theirinventory and/or accounting databases accordingly, therebyadvantageously providing for efficient perpetual inventory monitoringand correction at a lower cost for the retailer.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of othermodifications, alterations, and combinations can also be made withrespect to the above described embodiments without departing from thescope of the invention, and that such modifications, alterations, andcombinations are to be viewed as being within the ambit of the inventiveconcept.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for detecting mis-shipments of productsto a retail store and correcting perpetual inventory of the retail storein response to a detected mis-shipment, the system comprising: anelectronic scanning device configured to scan at least one productdisplay location on a sales floor of the retail store, the electronicscanning device including a sensor configured to identify at least oneproduct at the at least one product display location scanned by theelectronic scanning device; an electronic database configured to storeelectronic data representing an electronic invoice associated with theat least one product, perpetual inventory information associated withthe at least one product, and a demand for the at least one product; anelectronic inventory management device including a processor-basedcontrol circuit configured to: obtain, from the electronic database,electronic data representing the electronic invoice associated with theat least one product; in response to a scan of the at least one productdisplay location on the sales floor by the electronic scanning device,obtain, from the electronic scanning device, perpetual inventoryinformation associated with the at least one product displayed at the atleast one product display location; obtain, from the electronicdatabase, the demand at the retail store for the at least one productfrom a time when the at least one product associated with the electronicinvoice is delivered to the retail store to a time the electronicinvoice is obtained by the control circuit; analyze, using a set ofrules, whether the obtained demand, the electronic data representing theelectronic invoice associated with the at least one product, and theobtained perpetual inventory information associated with the at leastone product are indicative of a mis-shipment of the at least one productto the retail store; and in response to an identification by the controlcircuit of the mis-shipment, to transmit a signal to the electronicdatabase in order to update the perpetual inventory at the retail storeto account for the identified mis-shipment of the at least one productto the retail store.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronicscanning device comprises at least one of a hand-held electronicscanning device, and a shelf-mounted electronic scanning device; amobile unmanned electronic scanning device, and a productconveyor-mounted electronic scanning device.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the perpetual inventory information obtained by the electronicscanning device from the at least one product display location scannedby the electronic scanning device includes electronic data indicating atotal number of units of the at least one product at the scanned atleast one product display location on the sales floor.
 4. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the electronic scanning device is configured to: scanat least one product stocking location in a stock room of the retailstore, the electronic scanning device including a sensor configured toidentify at least one product at the at least one product stockinglocation scanned by the electronic scanning device; and obtain perpetualinventory information associated with the at least one product stockedat the at least one product stocking location; wherein the perpetualinventory information obtained by the electronic scanning device fromthe at least one product stocking location scanned by the electronicscanning device includes electronic data indicating a total number ofunits of the at least one product at the scanned at least one productstocking location in the stock room.
 5. The system of claim 1, whereinthe electronic scanning device is configured to transmit the obtainedperpetual inventory information associated with the at least one productdisplayed at the at least one product display location to the electronicdatabase.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit isconfigured to obtain, from the electronic database, perpetual inventoryinformation indicating a total quantity of the at least one productstocked in the stock room of the retail store; wherein the electronicinvoice includes a total quantity of the at least one product deliveredto the retail store per the electronic invoice; and wherein the demandincludes a total number of units of the at least one product sold at theretail store from a time when the at least one product was delivered tothe retail store per the electronic invoice.
 7. The system of claim 6,wherein the control circuit of the electronic inventory managementdevice is configured to identify the mis-shipment upon a determination,by the control circuit, that: the total quantity of the at least oneproduct displayed at the at least one product display location on thesales floor is zero; the total quantity of the at least one productstocked at a product stocking location in the stock room of the retailstore is zero; the total quantity of the at least one product deliveredto the retail store is greater than zero; and the total number of unitsof the at least one product sold at the retail store from the time whenthe at least one product was delivered to the retail store per theelectronic invoice is zero.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein theelectronic inventory management device is further configured to:transmit an electronic alert to a computing device of a distributorresponsible for the mis-shipment and the electronic invoice, theelectronic alert including a request that the distributor correct atleast one of an inventory discrepancy associated with the mis-shipmentand an electronic invoice discrepancy associated with the mis-shipment;receive, from the computing device of the distributor and in response tothe transmission of the alert by the electronic inventory managementdevice, a new electronic invoice reflecting corrected informationrelative to the mis-shipment identified by the control circuit; andtransmit the received new electronic invoice to the electronic databasein order to update the perpetual inventory at the retail store.
 9. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is further configured to,upon an identification of the mis-shipment of the at least one productto the retail store, to: analyze the electronic invoice associated withthe at least one product associated with the mis-shipment in order toidentify an intended retail store to which the at least one productassociated with the mis-shipment was indicated for shipment on theelectronic invoice; and cause the electronic inventory management deviceto transmit an electronic alert to a computing device at the intendedretail store, the electronic alert including a notification that the atleast one product intended to be shipped by the distributor to theintended retail store was mis-shipped to another retail store.
 10. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein the electronic alert transmitted to thecomputing device at the intended retail store is configured to updatethe perpetual inventory at the intended retail store to account for theidentified mis-shipment of the at least one product.
 11. A method ofdetecting mis-shipments of products to a retail store and correctingperpetual inventory of the retail store in response to a detectedmis-shipment, the method comprising: providing an electronic scanningdevice configured to scan at least one product display location on asales floor of the retail store, the electronic scanning deviceincluding a sensor configured to identify at least one product at the atleast one product display location scanned by the electronic scanningdevice; providing an electronic database configured to store electronicdata representing an electronic invoice associated with the at least oneproduct, perpetual inventory information associated with the at leastone product, and a demand for the at least one product; providing anelectronic inventory management device including a processor-basedcontrol circuit; obtaining, via the control circuit and from theelectronic database, electronic data representing the electronic invoiceassociated with the at least one product; in response to a scan the atleast one product display location on the sales floor by the electronicscanning device, obtain, by the electronic inventory management deviceand from the electronic scanning device, perpetual inventory informationassociated with the at least one product displayed at the at least oneproduct display location; obtaining, by the electronic inventorymanagement device and from the electronic database, the demand at theretail store for the at least one product from a time when the at leastone product associated with the electronic invoice is delivered to theretail store to the time the electronic invoice is obtained by theelectronic inventory management device; analyzing, via the controlcircuit using a set of rules, whether the obtained demand, theelectronic data representing the electronic invoice associated with theat least one product, and the obtained perpetual inventory informationassociated with the at least one product are indicative of amis-shipment of the at least one product to the retail store; and inresponse to an identification by the control circuit of themis-shipment, transmitting a signal to the electronic database in orderto update the perpetual inventory at the retail store to account for theidentified mis-shipment of the at least one product to the retail store.12. The method of claim 11, wherein the electronic scanning devicecomprises at least one of a hand-held electronic scanning device, ashelf-mounted electronic scanning device, a mobile unmanned electronicscanning device, and a product conveyor-mounted electronic scanningdevice.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the perpetual inventoryinformation obtained by the electronic scanning device from the at leastone product display location scanned by the electronic scanning deviceincludes electronic data indicating a total number of units of the atleast one product at the scanned at least one product display locationon the sales floor.
 14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:scanning, via the electronic scanning device, at least one productstocking location in a stock room of the retail store, the electronicscanning device including a sensor configured to identify at least oneproduct at the at least one product stocking location scanned by theelectronic scanning device; and obtaining, via the electronic scanningdevice, perpetual inventory information associated with the at least oneproduct stocked at the at least one product stocking location; whereinthe perpetual inventory information obtained by the electronic scanningdevice from the at least one product stocking location scanned by theelectronic scanning device includes electronic data indicating a totalnumber of units of the at least one product at the scanned at least oneproduct stocking location in the stock room.
 15. The method of claim 11,further comprising transmitting, via the electronic scanning device, theobtained perpetual inventory information associated with the at leastone product displayed at the at least one product display location tothe electronic database.
 16. The method of claim 11, obtaining, via theelectronic inventory management device and from the electronic database,perpetual inventory information indicating a total quantity of the atleast one product stocked in the stock room of the retail store; whereinthe electronic invoice includes a total quantity of the at least oneproduct delivered to the retail store per the electronic invoice; andwherein the demand includes a total number of units of the at least oneproduct sold at the retail store from a time when the at least oneproduct was delivered to the retail store per the electronic invoice.17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: identifying, via thecontrol circuit, the mis-shipment upon a determination, by the controlcircuit, that: the total quantity of the at least one product displayedat the at least one product display location on the sales floor is zero;the total quantity of the at least one product stocked at a productstocking location in the stock room of the retail store is zero; thetotal quantity of the at least one product delivered to the retail storeis greater than zero; and the total number of units of the at least oneproduct sold at the retail store from the time when the at least oneproduct was delivered to the retail store per the electronic invoice iszero.
 18. The method of claim 11, further comprising: transmitting anelectronic alert to a computing device of a distributor responsible forthe mis-shipment and the electronic invoice, the electronic alertincluding a request that the distributor correct at least one of aninventory discrepancy associated with the mis-shipment and an electronicinvoice discrepancy associated with the mis-shipment; receiving, by theelectronic inventory management device and from the computing device ofthe distributor and in response to the transmission of the alert by theelectronic inventory management device, a new electronic invoicereflecting corrected information relative to the mis-shipment identifiedby the control circuit; and transmitting the received new electronicinvoice from the electronic inventory management device to theelectronic database in order to update the perpetual inventory at theretail store.
 19. The method of claim 11, further comprising: upon anidentification by the control circuit of the mis-shipment of the atleast one product to the retail store: analyzing, via the controlcircuit, the electronic invoice associated with the at least one productassociated with the mis-shipment in order to identify an intended retailstore to which the at least one product associated with the mis-shipmentwas indicated for shipment on the electronic invoice; and transmitting,from the electronic inventory management device, an electronic alert toa computing device at the intended retail store, the electronic alertincluding a notification that the at least one product intended to beshipped by the distributor to the intended retail store was mis-shippedto another retail store.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein theelectronic alert transmitted to the computing device at the intendedretail store is configured to update the perpetual inventory at theintended retail store to account for the identified mis-shipment of theat least one product.